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Welcome to Grace!If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commands and remain in his love. John 15:10

Colossians 1:21-23IntroductionPaul is saying three things in these verses and we looked at two of those things in some detail last time.Heres how it looks 2Colossians 1:21-23Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.

2) But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation

3) if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.How does this follow on from what has gone before?3Colossians 1:21-23

IntroductionAlienation, v. 21The loss ofKnowledgeContactCommunicationIntimacyLeading to Heart enemies of GodBecause of evil behaviour

Well, as we saw last time, the situation in the Bible goes like this Its sin that separates people from a holy God of Whom there really is fair enough indication that Hes there.The thing is, if we acknowledge that Hes there then His holiness is there, and sin is going to have to be addressed for us to have knowledge, contact, communication and relationship with Him.And human beings simply want the one without the other.We dont by nature trust God enough to let go of sin and have Him make it all go nicely for us.Our sin is our comfort, but until we turn from sin and trust in Him, we dont trust Him quite enough to be getting shot of it.We LIKE our evil behaviour by virtue of our fallen nature and we dont trust Him to make it OK if we give it up.So human beings fend off their Creator and think up ways to repress the truth in their wickedness we do not believe we can be happy with its moral implications.We looked last time at how that all works out in Romans 1 Alienation is the background to what were looking at today but not just alienation.Its alienation that gets met all the way by reconciliation.Colossians 1:21-23

IntroductionAlienation, v. 21Reconciliation, v. 22ReconciledChrists physical body/ deathTo present you holy in HIS sightWithout blemishFree from accusationWithout blemish (which was what an OT sacrifice had to be but there YOU had to make sure of the quality of the sacrifice, here it comes about through the grace of God)Free from accusation oh dear accusation is a terrible thing.Do you know how alienating it can be to be falsely accused of some wrong-doing?!This is a judicial word, connected to having to give an account of yourself and to defend yourself in court because an accusation has been made there against you.The point is that Pauls hearers will be judged to be guiltless before God on the day that they finally stand there before Him(Notice the green arrow? Its very important were without blemish and free from accusation BEFORE HIM).What He has done leaves us reconciled and free from accusation before Him.It looks like this the humans have not just changed colour, but are surrounded in this infographic by a ring of steel Reconciliation!Alienation loss of Knowledge ContactCommunicationRelationship Godhumansto present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.Now as youd expect theres a very significant qualification.Here it comes Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behaviour. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation{No full stop there theres more }Colossians 1:21-23

IntroductionAlienation, v. 21Reconciliation, v. 22Continuation IF, v. 23 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.So there are two big things here that get their history sorted out with God.Firstly, continuation in the their faith and Pauls then pretty specific about what that continuing involvesSecondly, continuing in the true Gospel and because there are all sorts of people around them who are screwing up what its all about, he then defines what the true Gospel is.Personal continuation and perseverance mattersGospel truth matters, if you are going to be an alienated person who gets reconciled to God.

Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faithNow we need to clear something up straight away here.These Colossians are professing Christians but Paul IS saying they are in danger of falling by the wayside, and if youve been around church for a while you may be raising an eyebrow.You see, Jesus is pretty straightforward about this if you are one of His sheep then you are His for keeps and you are safe for good.So, John 10 John 10:24-29The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.25Jesus answered, I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Fathers name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Fathers hand. So it looks as if youre once a Christian then you are always a Christian but check vv. 26-27The thing about the people Jesus calls Sheep (i.e. His genuine followers) here is that they do actually believe, and they persevere in believing that factor alone defines who ARE His sheep!No-one snatches His genuine people out of His hand so they persevere in following Him.Which underlies His definition of who His actual sheep are in vv. 26-27 they are the ones who ACTUALLY, functionally, trust Him!10John 10:24-29The Jews who were there gathered round him, saying, How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.25Jesus answered, I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Fathers name testify about me, 26but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Fathers hand. Now v. 27 is translated here in English the most natural way in the present to say they follow me but if you parse that verb you get a future: they will follow me.Those who are truly and genuinely His will persevere in following Jesus they NEED to persevere, and those who are genuine, genuinely will.So in this verse in Colossians that we are looking at here, Paul says: now he has reconciled you by Christs physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.11Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm

Poor foundationWobbly wallRockEstablished and firm are actually words taken from the Greek construction industry Established is put on a stable foundation in fact this word is ever so similar t the Greek word for foundation.Now lets be clear about this word stable, because its possible to make a mistake.There are so many folks out there who are around churches or Christians or whatever but you couldnt with the most charitable will in the world describe them as stable.Now, of course, many of our good brothers and sisters have had stuff happen to them.Mebbe they have got too close to drink or drugs or some sort of dysfunctional lifestyle.Its all out there.Life is hard.Stuff happens.But this verse is not about emotional or mental stability although that flows from what its about.This verse is about being spiritually established and stable in your faith in Christ that is in trusting Christ and taking Him at His word.Let me give you an example I used to know an elderly lady in a place far away and a good while ago who had suffered a long time with very poor mental health.And I think its fair to say that shed suffered a great deal at the hands of many psychiatric innovations, too.But she was a delightful Christian lady struggling on with a heavy load to bear just following Jesus day by day.The lady who lived next door to her was another lovely but very steady Christian lady who was just tremendous to her but it was a hard slog for them and they just helped each other out as best they could.Now many people would never have described that first lady as stable.Her psychiatric condition was not terribly stable.But she never waivered in her commitment to Christ in spite of all the horrible things she had to deal with, so she was immensely stable and established in Christ in the way Paul means here.She kept her feet on the rock some days she didnt know much, but she knew she was trusting Jesus and she would tell you that time after time HE pulled her through.She was established in the sense we mean here.The other word is firm - Its one thing to have a solid foundation.Its another to build tight and strong on that foundation.

firm

Masonry needs compression in it to be strong you bang stones into gaps in the wall where you are placing your pointing, then you come back and fill up with mortar and bang it home.Stud walls need to be cut to fit then put in place and tightened with a wedge to hold them in tight if maximum strength and stability is to be had.Its all about what you need to be strong and that means taking up load and making things tight.What we need to be clear about here is that Paul isnt writing about your performance, but about settled character.What I mean is that he uses a participle for established and for firm, which means the established ones and the firm ones or mebbe those who are established and those who are firm.Hes talking about the sort of person you are, not the one-off achievement.13Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not moved

Paul now turns from positive affirmation to negative prohibition, and from positive characteristics to prohibited actions Dont SHIFT from the hope of the Gospel.The word is to do with kinetics movement and it is preceded by the negative particle which says not And then its a participle again, not being those moved away from the hope held out in the Gospel.Not a wobbler, not a drifter.Not one who can be moved away from the hope held out in the Gospel.But P T OBrien identifies that this is a present ptc so it means not one who is constantly shifting.The content of the Christian message is clear and fixed so you dont want to be the sort thats always shifting and wandering away from the fixed ground of Christian hope that hope which was the very content of the Gospel.Being this sort of person is to be unmoved and immoveable in the face of strong winds of new doctrine, not just when people would deny the apostolic gospel but when, more subtly, they would improve upon it. (R C. Lucas)Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope The Gospel of Jesus Christ is many would be surprised to realise about hope.And the sort of person who is a genuine Christian is transfixed with that hope.Youve got to admit, wherever you stand on Jesus, that if anyone reckons theyre going to live for ever thats BOUND to affect the way they live in the here and now!If you are the real deal sort of Christian (says Paul) you wont budge from that.There really is a pretty bright light at the end of the tunnel for the Christian, and that light out there ahead of the Christian shines back down the darkened corridor of where Im going in the short term to lighten the dark and fetid spot that I find myself standing (stooping? Crouching? Lying?) in today!It is BOUND to if its for real and look if I reckon that bright light of a freshly dawning day is where following Christ is going to get me, to spend eternity in safety and rest and GLORY with Him for ever the person who genuinely believes that is NO WAY going to be moved from that hope!Lets face it its the hope (sure & certain) that keeps you going as a Christian.The sort of Christian that perseveres, established and firm, not moved away That sort of Christian is the sort that gets stuck in to feeding their hope.Its all too easy, all too cool, all too appealing to be the sort of Christian Goth or Emo or whatever that just maxxes up the frustrations the creation is (genuinely) subject to and paints everything black or at least some dreary shade of charcoal.Thats NOT the way to continue in your faithThats NOT the way to prove to be established, firm and immoveable.But hey!Your choice.Heres why.Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel.

This hope is just held out to you in the Gospel.Not forced on you.Not battered into you.Held out to you.Paul what are you talking about: held out?!I seem to have had a bit of a problem recently working out quite how much bread were going to need ahead of the time.So some days there been none (which is inconvenient and annoying) and other times (like yesterday) theres a pile of old bread that you really dont fancy and is in danger of getting mouldy.(I dont think these use by dates are a good idea but thats another story)I always think wont throw it the Dexters will have itSOME of them are very partial to a bit of dry bread but others just wont touch it.And I can never remember which mob will eat it and which wont.So you get out there, put a half a loaf on the palm of your hand, and wait.Theres bread being held out.Its good for them.It definitely cheers a cow up.But there are some of them who just wont come over and eat it off my hand.And there are others you have to be careful with because theyd rip your arm off for it!So you get your boots on and your over trousers and your coat and your cap and you go out there along the track and up the hill and through the gate into the field and you put the bread on your hand and you wait.And even if theyre being really ungrateful and unpleasant you dont crowd a cow into the corner of a field, take it firmly by the neck, force open its cake hole and ram a loaf down its neck!Theres hope held out in the Gospel.But its held out to you.If you dont take it, it will not be forced on you and thats your look out.But theres HOPE held out to you here.I sat in a caf recently with a lady whos (lets say) not been given a worry-free prognosis.What have you got for her?I can tell you theres hope here: Christ died to pay the price of human sin and make it OK to face God on the day of judgement, and having paid the price of MY sin He rose from the dead to prove Hed done it!There is tremendous HOPE held out in this Gospel!What gospel?!Ah. Yes. Heres an important bit.Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel The Gospel in which this hope is held out to us is not some vague, woosy sort of thing.Christianity is linked to a very distinct, clear, non-negotiable MESSAGE.It is THIS and because it is THIS then its definitely not THAT if you see what I mean?The hope of the Christian from which we mustnt be moved if were to prove genuine and end up inheriting the Christian hope of having our natural alienation from God turned into reconciliation with Him is two things:Its i) the will to ii) stick with the truth.Weve dealt with the will bit in the continuing in the faith bit just now but Pauls now unpacking which truth it is that the genuine sort of Christian sticks with.It is the body of truth that they personally have related to Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard

These people have got history.Theyve got history with this Gospel.It is the Gospel they themselves have heard.Paul is reminding of the teaching they received at the very start of their Christian lives (from Epaphras whod learned it from Paul down in Ephesus and brought it back with him to Colossae and passed it on).This was the teaching that had made such an impression and had such an effect on their own personal lives.THAT Gospel the one you heard remember?The one that brought you from the alienated state Pauls been describing in these verses into the reconciled state you need to avoid swerving from!The Gospel they heard was all about Christs work FOR them not IN them.It depended on what He had done on the Cross (as Pauls been saying) and continuing in this faith means to be content with the Gospel that first saved, delivered and reconciled them to God.It is for those whose confidence that they are reconciled to God is found in His saving work FOR us, not in Christs renovating work in us.Thats the Gospel that youve heard.But it doesnt start and stop with you as if you had some special deal or favoured status leaving the details open to further mutual negotiation!Its authenticity seems to rest (according to what Paul says here) on the fact that it is not just for them but for everyone Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,

Paul seems to link this being the genuine article with its universality and of course, as an ex-Jewish rabbi, Paul sees the significance of this.When the Spirit came at Pentecost at the birth of the church as we know it, it was said that the people gathered were

Acts 2When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken Acts 2Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These people are not drunk, as you suppose. Its only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17In the last days, God says,I will pour out my Spirit on all people Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do?38Peter replied, Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call.The genuine, authentic message about Christ is for ALL peoples the first time ever that THIS had happened and it is the Christian Gospels uniquely authenticating feature in Pauls day, in fulfilment of the prophecy of the prophet Joel.So the genuine Gospel is the one that had set these Colossians free from their soul destroying alienation and reconciled them to God.It was also the message that came in a uniquely inclusive way in fulfilment of Joels prophecy from the very birth of the church on the day of Pentecost.And 21

Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.This Gospel gave Paul Gods commission as Apostle to the Gentiles it is the same clear, definite and non-negotiable message that Paul had put his body on the line for on so many occasions, and was still doing as he wrote to them from prison in Rome.He was persevering in its truth and he was also very clearly calling on the Colossians (who were also under pressure) to dive in and do the very same.Colossians 1:21-23

if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and not movedfrom the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.ConclusionThis message of Christs peace-making work which involves the reconciliation of the cosmos refers particularly to these Colossian Christians.They are reminded of where they used to be with God theyd been dead set on being Gods enemies, alienated from God and from His people.Their previous situation really shows up Gods graciousness in reconciling them to Himself through the costly death of His Son on the Cross.But the acid test for them is their continuance.If they are for real they will stand by this Jesus Who has paid the price for them to be reconciled to God.Like a building set on a sure foundation and erected with strong supports and buttresses they are to remain true to the Gospel, and not to shift from the fixed ground of their Christian hope. The claim of Pauls gospel (which focused on this hope) to be the authentic message is attested by its universal appeal. (P T OBrien)